Freshman Year

August 31, 2022

2022-well. My first year in America. Freshman year of college. Life moved faster than I ever imagined it could... and I had to catch up.

Met people from all walks of life. Everyone had stories, perspectives, and experiences so different from mine. College really is a world of its own.

Highlights of the Year

• California:
  California was great - the first city I visited in the US.
  Saw the Pacific, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, and accidentally drove on the wrong side of the road (just once).
  Seven-lane highways scared me.
  Learned what Costco was. Got lost in there for a while.
  Realized America was expensive. California? Even more so.
• Moved into College:
  Packed my bags, flew across the world, and moved into the dorms. America was... different from what I expected. Still is.
  Salads and pizza became breakfast. Sometimes dinner. Occasionally both.
• The Big House:
  First football game at The Big House. Didn't understand the rules, but I understood the energy. GO BLUE.
• College
  Tried to make friends. Tried to find my people. Tried to find things that felt like "me." Some days I did. Some days I didn't. Still trying.
• The Realization:
  I always thought getting into college was the hard part. Turns out, being in college is harder. More competitive. More overwhelming. A tough, humbling realization.
• Campus Life
  Picked up tennis again-fell in love with it all over. Joined the Michigan Cricket Club.
  Got involved in campus life-joined a few clubs, explored different interests, and even did research at the Ross School of Business.
• ENGR 101, EECS 203:
  Was... an experience. Enough said.
• Solo Trip to New York:
  Scary. Liberating.
  Got lost. Got found. Got charged $8 for coffee. Worth it.
  For the first time, America felt like the version I'd grown up seeing in movies- loud, alive, a little overwhelming, and kind of magical.
  Walked for hours, tried the famous $1 pizza, took the subway with a pigeon and crossed "New York cheesecake" off my bucket list.
• First Winter:
  Made a snowman. Had a snowball fight at the Diag. Took way too many photos.
  Tried ice skating for the first time. Fell down. Repeatedly..
  Spent my first Christmas in America. Traveled to San Francisco.
  Almost died. Literally. Got threatened and had a sword pulled on me on New Year's Eve. Talk about starting the year with a sharp turn.
• Freshman Year Flew By:
  Missed the filter coffee, the curd rice, and the dosas more than I expected-can't wait to go back home.
  Spent the summer doing research at Adept Lab, my first real dive into academic work.
  Taught Python to high schoolers at the Joy of Coding program-my first experience teaching, and I absolutely loved it.
  Worked part-time at DealsPlus, my initial journey into professional full-stack development.

Back in India

• Pondy (Again):
  Returned to Pondicherry-this time with more stories, more nostalgia, and of course virgin mojitos.
• Trip to Kashmir:
  Absolutely stunning. Like walking through a postcard.
  The Himalayas were... the Himalayas. It was like walking through a wallpaper.
  Also saw a very different side of India-one shaped by conflict. Felt privileged, and grateful for those who protect us.
• The Boys' Goa Trip (Finally):
  It finally left the group chat. Legend-wait for it-ary. That's all I'll say.
• Quotes That Hit Different This Year:
  "True friends are never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart." - Helen Keller
  "Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory." - Dr. Seuss
  "Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable." - Mary Oliver

Looking Back

2022 taught me that growth is uncomfortable, and comfort is overrated. That figuring things out is messy, lonely, and unpredictable-but also kind of beautiful.

Some days I felt lost. Some days I felt alive.

Here's to Sophomore year.

Peace.